Drosophila (Sophophora) frolovae Wheeler, 1949

Grimaldi, David A., 2024, The Drosophila (Sophophora) obscura species group in the Americas (Diptera: Drosophilidae): review, revisions, and three new species, American Museum Novitates 2024 (4015), pp. 1-44 : 39

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1206/4015.1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12173724
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0387351B-FFDB-FF9F-F6AF-5AE4FBE2FA86
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Drosophila (Sophophora) frolovae Wheeler
status

Treatment

Drosophila (Sophophora) frolovae Wheeler View in CoL

Drosophila frolovae Wheeler, 1949: 175 View in CoL .

DIAGNOSIS: Unique among obscura -group species in the Americas for the large male sex combs on both basal protarsomeres: ta1 with 14–16 teeth and ta2 with 10–11. Also distinctive for the 8 rows of acrostichals, which occur in four New World species in the D. pseudoobscura subgroup.

TYPES: Holotype, ♂: 19 mi E Morelia , Michoacan de Ocampo, Mexico, F.A. Cowan, M.R. Wheeler, 8-30-47. In USNM.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Only the holotype, not dissected.

COMMENTS: Wheeler (1949: 176) mentioned 2 males and “an unknown number of females” were collected “in a forest high in the mountains,” but I am unaware of any specimens of this species other than the holotype. The acrostichal rows and large combs on both tarsomeres strongly suggests this species is more closely related to Old World species of the obscura subgroup , but confirming this will need to await the discovery of more characters and specimens.